Sadly, we have become accustomed to mass shootings in America. What we saw in Vegas was on a scale we couldn’t have imagined. The shooter was holed up in his suite with twenty-three weapons. He poured hundreds of rounds on the concertgoers below. By the time he was stopped, fifty-nine people were dead and over five-hundred injured.

There is no way for us to make sense out of this tragedy. We can’t understand the mind of someone so twisted. A sixty-four year old man who financially secure is a huge departure from the typical profile of a mass shooter.Now thousands of people across the country must cope with the loss of their friend or loved one. An untold number will be supporting the injured. All of us are affected one way or another.

It is hard to find a silver lining in such senseless tragedy. However, the support pouring in for the victims and their families is proof that what connects us is stronger than what divides us.

While most of us respond in shock and disbelief, some use this as an opportunity to seek political advantage or spew hate. A number of Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, talked about gun control. I don’t understand the mentality of someone who views this as an opportunity to stick it to their political rivals.

Some went much further. Congressman Seth Moulton refused to participate in a moment of silence. Several reporters used it to attack Trump and Republicans. A college professor blamed “Trumpism” and “white victimization”.

The prize for the sickest response goes to a now former CBS lawyer and vice president. She tweeted that she was “not even sympathetic” to the victims because “country music fans are often Republicans”. I fail to understand how someone can be so twisted as to not care about such a tragedy simply because some of the victims might vote differently than her.​We need to find ways to become closer together and reject those that hate regardless of whether we agree or disagree with their political philosophy.​